Advertisement

Buccaneers defense is surrendering more points than last season

Share this article

If you want to try and explain the 2-6 start by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it’s easy to point the finger at quarterback Jameis Winston.

The former Heisman Trophy winner is in the fifth and final year of his rookie contract, and heading into the season, expectations were high for Winston considering he was now under the tutelage of quarterback whisperer Bruce Arians.

But, turnovers have again been the problem for Winston, and it looks like the quarterback may be on his way out. But getting rid of Winston isn’t going to correct the real reason behind Tampa Bay’s horrid record — their pass defense.

The Buccaneers are giving up 293.5 passing yards per game to opposing teams, including 378 to Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in Tampa Bay’s Week 9 overtime loss.

What’s worse for this defense, too, is that they are giving up 31.5 points per game, second-worst in the league behind only (gulp) the Miami Dolphins (32.0). It’s a shame the defense has been so atrocious in many regards since the Buccaneers have the best rush defense in the NFL. But, given the way the secondary has been playing, it’s hard to reconcile the two.

Things aren’t going to get any easier in Week 10 when the Arizona Cardinals come to town. Cards rookie quarterback Kyler Murray presents a whole set of issues with his ability to run and throw down field. Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles has his work cut out for him this week.

More Stories

Tom Brady will be taking over a Bucs offense that ranked third overall last season despite the erratic play of quarterback Jameis Winston, who finished 2019 with 5,109 passing yards to go along with 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions.

Despite the number of turnovers, Winston actually set the franchise record for passing yards and passing touchdowns in a season. And while Tom Brady is himself a member of the 5,000-yard passing club, he may have a better shot of breaking Winston's touchdown record in 2020.

Over his 20-year career, Brady has passed for 33 or more touchdowns six times, most recently...

From The WebAds by Zergnet

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked up two running backs in April's NFL draft in Ke'Shawn Vaughn (third round) and Raymond Calais (seventh round) to help bolster a backfield that lost Peyton Barber this offseason in free agency.

Vaughn and Calais will be joining incumbent starter Ronald Jones, who finished his 2019 sophomore campaign with 724 rushing yards to go along with six touchdowns. But the Bucs could definitely use an experienced veteran back to help their offense and new quarterback Tom Brady, and one name that keeps coming up is former Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman.

The coronavirus pandemic has interrupted sports leagues around the world, and if and when the NFL kicks off its 2020 season, one of the proposed ideas to ensure public safety is playing games in empty stadiums. While that might not be the ideal situation for either the league or its fans, it's an option that's on the table at this point.

Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians spoke at length on a Zoom call with reporters yesterday on a wide variety of topics, from the national protests to his new quarterback Tom Brady. And, when talking about the possibility of...